Article I: Meetings and Operation

1. Section 1: The Chair and Secretary shall prepare an agenda for all meetings of the Representative Assembly, which must be available to the entire membership and the Executive Council twenty-four (24) hours before the meeting will be called to order.
2. Section 2: All Bates students may attend any meeting of the Representative Assembly. They may, when recognized by the presiding Chair, speak and ask any questions of the Assembly. Only representatives may make motions from the floor and vote on motions being considered.
   1. A. Bates administration, faculty, and staff may attend meetings of the Representative Assembly as observers and in order to answer questions which the Assembly chooses to ask of them directly.
   2. B. Any administrators, faculty, or staff that wish to speak at a meeting of the Representative Assembly must be invited by the membership at a previous meeting.
3. Section 3: Should the Chair be unable to be present at a meeting of the Representative Assembly, an acting Chair will be appointed by the present membership.
   1. A. If the Chair knows he/she will be absent, a member may be chosen by the Chair to be acting Chair, pending the approval of the RA. A vote of approval will be done immediately after calling the meeting to order.
   2. B. If the Chair is asked to step down or does not attend a meeting, the membership shall nominate and approve a member to serve as acting Chair for the meeting in question. If the meeting has yet to begin, the Secretary shall call the meeting to order and conduct the nomination and approval of an acting Chair.
4. Section 4: All regular meetings of the Representative Assembly shall follow an established order. The order, established below, may only be changed by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of present members of the Representative Assembly:
   1. A. Announcements
   2. B. Ratification of Minutes from previous regular meeting(s) (if any)
   3. C. Public Participation
   4. D. Representative Assembly Officer Reports
   5. E. Executive Council Officer Reports
   6. F. Committee Reports
   7. G. Member Reports (any member may speak on any issue)
   8. H. Old Business
   9. I. New Business

Article II: Officer Powers and Responsibilities

1. Section 1: All Student Government officers shall be required to hold one (1) office hour each week in the Student Government office.
2. Section 2: All Student Government officers are expected to attend all meetings of the Representative Assembly.
3. Section 3: All Student Government officers shall have the power to serve on any student or student/faculty committee. All officers are required to be familiar with all student committee guidelines and undergo training for all active student committees. For any student committee: only one officer may serve at one time; said officer acts as a voting member of the committee; and said officer must be solicited by the Chair of the student committee in question. For any student/faculty committee: only one officer may serve at one time; said officer acts as a non-voting member; and said officer must be solicited by the student Chair of the committee in question.
4. Section 4: The Chair of the Representative Assembly shall have all powers and responsibilities granted said office in the Student Government Constitution and Bylaws as well as the following powers and responsibilities:
   1. A. Call emergency meetings of the Representative Assembly when the student body is needed to speak and a regular meeting is not scheduled soon enough for the Student Government to appropriately react.
5. Section 5: The Secretary of the Representative Assembly shall have all powers and responsibilities granted said office in the Student Government Constitution and Bylaws as well as the following powers and responsibilities:
   1. A. Shall keep and distribute minutes of all official meetings of the Representative Assembly.
   2. B. Maintain an organized collection of all activities of the Student Government during the administration in which they serve.
   3. C. Add to and upkeep the Student Government archives.
   4. D. Maintain an updated roster (or roll) of all Student Government members.
   5. E. Keep track of the number of students living in each residence hall or house, and off-campus, for the purpose of determining number of representatives for each constituency in the Representative Assembly.
   6. F. Take attendance at all Representative Assembly meetings.
   7. G. Responsible for the Representative Assembly e-mail list [RA-talk].
   8. H. Responsible for collecting, keeping track of, and publicizing each Representative Assembly member’s office hour.
   9. I. Responsible for keeping track of the size of the student body and all other necessary statistics for the functioning of the Student Government.
6. Section 6: The President shall have all powers and responsibilities granted said office in the Student Government Constitution and Bylaws as well as the following powers and responsibilities:
   1. A. Shall, after seeking advice from the Executive Council and officers of the Representative Assembly, write a Student Government budget and bring it before the Representative Assembly for approval.
   2. B. May call student forums, which require the approval of the Representative Assembly before being sponsored by the Student Government.
   3. C. May write Executive Orders. Such orders may create standing rules of order for the Executive Council only or may create non-voting positions in the Executive Council. All such Executive Orders require approval of two-thirds (2/3) of the Executive Council and cease to exist upon the end of the President’s term.
   4. D. In the case of an emergency, the President may act as a voice of the student body. However, any actions taken must be reported at the next meeting of the Representative Assembly, and the President may only act in such a capacity until the Representative Assembly is next able to meet. He/she can call an emergency meeting if a regular meeting is not scheduled in the immediate future.
7. Section 7: The Vice President of Student Committees shall have all powers and responsibilities granted said office in the Student Government Constitution and Bylaws as well as the following powers and responsibilities:
   1. A. Should the President be unable to perform any or all of his/her duties, the Vice President of Student Committees shall assume all powers and responsibilities of said office.
      1. i. If there is more than four (4) class weeks before the next regular Presidential election, an immediate election will be organized to elect a President, as per the Elections and Judiciary Committee Guidelines.
8. Section 8: The Vice President of Student Clubs shall have all powers and responsibilities granted said office in the Student Government Constitution and Bylaws as well as the following powers and responsibilities:
   1. A. Shall act as a voice of student clubs recognized by the Student Government.
   2. B. Shall act as liaison between the Student Government and student clubs.
   3. C. Maintain an updated list of all student clubs recognized by the Student Government.
   4. D. Shall hold monthly meetings open and advertised to all student clubs, in order to allow clubs to voice any concerns or bring any ideas to the Vice President of Student Clubs.
   5. E. Should the President be unable to perform any or all of his/her duties and the Vice President of Student Committees be unable to perform the duties of President, the Vice President of Student Clubs shall assume all powers and responsibilities of the President.
      1. i. The Vice President of Student Clubs shall act as President only until the Vice President of Student Committees or the President is able to do so again, or until a new President is elected, following the steps outlined in these Bylaws; Article II, Section 7, subsection A i.
9. Section 9: he Treasurer shall have all powers and responsibilities granted said office in the Student Government Constitution and Bylaws as well as the following powers and responsibilities:
   1. A. Report on the financial status of the Student Government as requested by the Representative Assembly and/or the Executive Council.
   2. B. Maintain an updated list of all student clubs financially active and funded by the Student Government.

Article III: Duties of Representatives

1. Section 1: Representatives in the Representative Assembly are expected, above all else, to be fairly responsive to the will and welfare of their constituency.
2. Section 2: A representative is expected to attend all meetings of the Representative Assembly.
3. Section 3: A representative is required to be available for office hours with any constituent who asks for an appointment.

Article IV: Substitutes and Absences

1. Section 1: If a representative is unable to attend a meeting of the Representative Assembly, a substitute may be sent in his/her place. Substitutes must be from among the representative’s constituents.
2. Section 2: Substitute requests must be made to the Chair prior to the call to order at the meeting in question, and must include the representative’s name, constituency, substitute’s name and box number. Substitutes will be granted only for a specific student substitute at a specific meeting.
3. Section 3: The Chair decides whether to grant or deny the request for a substitute.
   1. A. The Chair has the power to deny any representative a substitute if he/she has reason to do so.
   2. B. The Chair must immediately respond to the representative in writing. If the request is denied, the letter need only communicate this. If the request is granted, a dated letter with the name of the representative, constituency, and the name of the official substitute must be signed and sent to both the representative and the official substitute.
   3. C. The letter sent to the substitute must be presented to the Secretary of the Representative Assembly immediately prior the meeting in order to have a vote.
4. Section 4: Substitutes shall act as full voting members of the Representative Assembly, except in cases of a vote to remove from office, an amendment to the Student Government Constitution or Bylaws, and any other vote that legislation dictates shall exclude substitutes.
5. Section 5: Due to extenuating circumstances, a representative may request that the Chair excuse an absence after its occurrence. A representative may miss one (1) meeting of the Representative Assembly without an excuse each academic semester.
   1. A. The Chair has the power to deny any representative’s request to be excused if he/she has reason to do so.
   2. B. Should a substitute be approved, and attend in the representative’s place, the absence is automatically considered excused.

Article V: Elections

1. Section 1: The Elections and Judiciary Committee Guidelines shall outline and detail the different types of elections and the procedures for all elections of the Student Government.
2. Section 2: The Elections and Judiciary Committee shall be responsible for organizing and carrying out all elections that the Student Government is, or becomes, responsible for. Elections include, but are not limited to: class representatives, off-campus representatives, dormitory and house representatives, advisory committee members, President, Vice President of Student Committees, Vice President of Student Clubs, class officers, Chair of the Representative Assembly, Secretary of the Representative Assembly, and class Co-President.
3. Section 3: The regular election of President and Vice President of Student Committees shall be done in January and those elected shall take office February 1st.
4. Section 4: Any student wishing to be a candidate for the office of President, Vice President of Student Committees, or Vice President of Student Clubs must:
   1. A. Be a Bates student currently enrolled full-time.
   2. B. Have attended Bates as a full-time student, studying and living on campus, for two (2) full academic semesters.
   3. C. Be studying on campus while Bates College is in regular session (winter and fall semester) until the end of the current calendar year.

Article VI: Student Committees

1. Section 1: In order to be recognized as an active committee, all student committees must have current guidelines. Current guidelines must have been approved by the Representative Assembly within the previous two (2) years.
   1. A. All student committees shall review their guidelines, making necessary changes, and submit them to the Representative Assembly before the end of Fall semester in the year that the guidelines are due to be reviewed.
   2. B. All student committees shall review their guidelines before the end of fall semester each year, regardless of whether they must be approved by the Representative Assembly.
   3. C. All student committee guidelines must include the following:
      1. i. Mission statement.
      2. ii. Powers of the committee.
      3. iii. Criteria for selection of members.
      4. iv. Duties of members.
      5. v. Committee operation.
      6. vi. Any information from the Student Government Constitution and Bylaws which pertains to the specific committee should be repeated and cited within the guidelines.
   4. D. All current student committee guidelines shall be considered Special Rules of Order, as defined by Robert’s Rules of Order.
2. Section 2: The duties of members of student committees shall be:
   1. A. Every time the committee meets, the Chair shall make an oral report at the next regular Representative Assembly meeting. The report should detail the substance of the committee meeting in question.
   2. B. Members of any student committee are expected to attend all meetings of the committee in question. Excuses for missing meetings shall be considered by the Student Committee on Committees.
   3. C. The Chair of the committee is expected to report violations of any duties set by the Representative Assembly, here or in the committee’s guidelines.
3. Section 3: All student committees shall consist of one (1) Chair, six (6) members, and one (1) alternate member. All student committees are open to the entire student body, unless otherwise noted. All student committee vacancies are filled by Executive Appointment, unless otherwise noted. The standing student committees include:
   1. A. The Student Committee on Committees shall be responsible for the selection of students to student and student/faculty committees. The Student Committee on Committees will be Chaired by the Vice President of Student Committees and selected by Executive Appointment. Student Committee on Committees is also responsible for oversight of all student and student/faculty committees.
   2. B. The Budget Committee shall be responsible for disbursement and oversight of the Student Activities Fund. The Budget Committee will be Chaired by the Treasurer and selected by the Student Committee on Committees. The Budget Committee is also responsible for disbursing the Student Government Co-Sponsorship Fund, auditing clubs funded by the Student Government, and annual approval of budgets for Student Government recognized student clubs.
   3. C. The Organizational Review Board shall be responsible for the approval and recognition of student clubs. The Organizational Review Board will be Chaired by the Vice President of Student Clubs and selected by the Student Committee on Committees. The Organizational Review Board is also responsible for acting as a liaison between the Student Government and all recognized student clubs.
   4. D. The Parking Committee shall be responsible for conducing lotteries for student parking permits, hearing parking appeals, and overseeing student parking violations. The Parking Committee members and a Chair will selected by the Student Committee on Committees. The Parking Committee is also responsible for continually attempting to acquire additional parking for students. The Parking Committee’s decisions are exempt from the rule requiring the Representative Assembly’s approval (Section 4 below).
   5. E. The Election and Judiciary Committee shall be responsible for organizing and conducting all elections deemed necessary by the Student Government or specified in the Student Government Constitution or Bylaws. The Chair of the Elections and Judiciary Committee will be the Parliamentarian and the committee will be selected by the Student Committee on Committees. The Elections and Judiciary Committee is also responsible for any investigations relevant to officer impeachment or removal. The Elections and Judiciary Committee is open only to members of the Representative Assembly and the Chair of the committee shall fill vacancies by soliciting applications from members.
   6. F. The Publicity Committee shall be responsible for all publicity and public relations functions of the Student Government. The Publicity Committee will be Chaired by the Secretary of the Representative Assembly and selected by the Student Committee on Committees. The Publicity Committee is also responsible for reporting passed legislation and action. The Publicity Committee is open only to members of the Representative Assembly and the Chair of the committee shall fill vacancies by soliciting applications from members.
4. Section 4: Any committee may initiate legislation directly related to its goals and purpose, as stated by the Constitution, these Bylaws, or the committee’s guidelines.
5. Section 5: The Representative Assembly may establish ad-hoc committees for a specific goal or purpose. Unless the legislation creating said committee specifies otherwise, the ad-hoc committee in question is considered dissolved after one (1) calendar year. If no Chair is specified, the Parliamentarian shall appoint one. Unless otherwise specified, the Representative Assembly will elect committee members and fill vacancies as necessary.

Article VII: Advisory Committees

1. Section 1: The Advisory Committees are: The President’s Advisory Committee, the Dean’s Advisory Committee, the Trustees’ Advisory Committee, and the Faculty Advisory Committee.
2. Section 2: Each academic year, each graduating class is entitled to elect one (1) representative to each advisory committee to serve in said position for the student’s tenure at Bates College.
3. Section 3: Each advisory committee shall elect its own student Chair from among the student members to serve for one academic year. The Chair shall also serve as a member of the Executive Council. Should the Chair be unable to serve as a member of the Executive Council, he/she may appoint another student to serve the academic year as member of the Executive Council.
4. Section 4: Any student member of an advisory committee, including the Chair, may be removed for consistently missing committee meetings.
   1. A. Official meetings of any advisory committee include any meetings that are with the administrative person(s) the committee is appointed to advise (President, Deans, Trustees, or Faculty).
   2. B. Student committee members are allowed three (3) unexcused absences during their time serving on the committee. Absences may be excused by the advisory committee student Chair.
   3. C. Any student missing a meeting because they are studying off campus for the term or have a class at the time of the meeting is automatically considered excused.
5. Section 5: Any vacancy on the committee due to a member being removed for violating attendance requirements will remain open until the next school- or class-wide election run by the Elections and Judiciary Committee. At said election, any class with a vacancy on any committee will fill said vacancy.

Article VIII: Student/Faculty Committees

1. Section 1: The duties of members of student/faculty committees are the same as those of members of student committees, detailed in Article VI, Section 2, with the following adjustments:
   1. A. Anything that would be done by the committee Chair is instead done by a student member designated to act as Student Chair for the committee’s term.
2. Section 2: Student members of student/faculty committees shall be appointed by the Student Committee on Committees, which will also have oversight of said committees. Student vacancies on student/faculty committees shall be filled by Executive Appointment. The following list of student/faculty committees (and student seats on them) must be appointed each year by the Student Committee on Committees:
   1. A. Admissions and Financial Aid (2)
   2. B. Athletics (4)
   3. C. Chalking and Postering (2)
   4. D. College Concerts (3)
   5. E. College Lectures (3)
   6. F. Curriculum and Calendar (2)
   7. G. Educational Policy (3)
   8. H. Extracurricular Activities and Residential Life (6)
   9. I. First-year Seminar and Writing Workshop (2)
   10. J. Honors Study (1)
   11. K. Information Services Advisory (2)
   12. L. Library (3)
   13. M. Off-Campus Study (3)
   14. N. Office of Career Services Advisory (5)
   15. O. Student Conduct (5)

Article IX: Class Officers

1. Section 1: Each graduating class shall elect two (2) class officers each academic year. These officers shall be Co Presidents.
2. Section 2: Class officers shall meet regularly with each other, both individual classes as well as all classes together. All classes together, totaling eight (8) class officers, will make up the Presidents Committee. Said committee shall elect one of the Co-Presidents to act as committee Chair. Like student committees, the Presidents Committee may propose motions before the Representative Assembly.
3. Section 3: Class Co-Presidents are charged with organizing class events, communicating between members of their class and campus offices, and coordinating class leadership.

Article X: Budget and Expenses

1. Section 1: Any officer of the Student Government, either the Representative Assembly or the Executive Council, may authorize expenditures up to seventy-five dollars ($75). Any expenditures, for any purpose or any amount, must be reported in writing to the Treasurer.
2. Section 2: Any expenditure over seventy-five dollars ($75) must have the approval of the Budget Committee. The Budget Committee may authorize any officer to spend up to ten percent (10%) of the Student Government’s final allocation for the academic year in question. Any such expenditures must be reported in writing to the Treasurer.
3. Section 3: Any expenditure greater than ten percent (10%) of the Student Government’s final allocation for the academic year in question must have the approval of both the Budget Committee and the Representative Assembly. The Budget Committee may recommend the authorization for any officer to spend Student Government funds in excess of ten percent (10%) and the Representative Assembly must approve of such expenditures. Any such expenditures must be reported in writing to the Treasurer.
4. Section 4: The President must report all expenditures of the Student Government to the Representative Assembly and the Executive Council at the end of every semester.